Sagrada Familia

You can’t come to Spain and not visit the Sagrada Familia. The construction of this church began in 1882, 134 years ago. It is designed by Antoni Gaudi, one of Spain’s famous sons. It is the Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family. The hope is that the construction will be completed by 2026-2028. All good things take time.

A couple of travel tips for this:

Book tickets to view this in advance, online. We turned up to visit but they were selling no more tickets that day. Thousands and thousands of visitors go through here on a daily basis and you don’t want to miss out. Plan ahead.

I would suggest visiting the Gaudi Museum before you visit Sagrada Familia. Some of the things you learn, both about Gaudi and his genius and inspiration, help you to appreciate this building.

To me, from the outside, this Basilica looked very much like a building out of Disney. And even when I was inside it, I wasn’t sure what to think. In fact, I think words would never be able to describe this structure adequately. Every eye would see different details and each voyeur would have their own representation of what was before them. The detail, the light and the sheer size of it are breathtaking.

All the supporting columns in his building have a slight lean. When asked about this he apparently said that when you lean on a walking stick it is not upright. That are what his columns are designed to do…lean.

Gaudi was known as God’s architect and he spent the last fourteen years of his life completely devoted to its construction. The bronze, stone, iron, wood, and glass designs are so detailed that there are even bugs in an iron panel of leaves and flowers.

The passion facade tells the story of Christ’s journey from betrayal to the cross to ascension through detailed sculptures. It is a vivid and powerful representation in stone.